John Stott is a fairly famous evangelical exegetical commentator (i.e. he writes books trying to get at the meaning or meanings of scripture through studying the scriptures), who is also an annihilationist.
Recently, I discovered this quote tagged to an email:
"We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, “What has happened to the salt and light?” – John R. W. Stott
I am not entirely sure that this is the same John Stott (although I suspect it is, as it comes from someone who used to work for someone who was astounded and impressed to learn that Stott, a favorite commenter of his, was an annihilationist instead of ECT.)
But if it is, my reply would be something like this:
“You threw out the salt when you denied that we all shall be salted with the fire of Gehenna, a salting that is the best of things and which leads to peace with one another. No fire == no Holy Spirit == no salt and no light. When the salt becomes unsalty, then with what did you think you would salt it?! It only is fit to be thrown outside, to be trampled underfoot by men.”
Or, less snarkily perhaps : does anyone here have access to what John Stott says (if anything) about Mk 9:49-50?